William c



W. C. HOOD.

CHAIR.

(No Model.)

No. 533,592. Patented Feb. 5, 1895.

UNITED STATES PATENT TF1 Prion.

\VILLIAM O. HOOD, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO THE RAOINE HARDXVARE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CHAIR.

srnorrzca'rron forming part of Letters Patent No. 533,592, dated February 5,189 5.

Application filed July 9, 1894. Serial No. 517,0.U4. (ll'o model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. HOOD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Racine, in the county of Racine, and in the State of Wisconsin; have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chairs; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention has for its object to provide opera and other arm-chairs with folding devices that serve in raised position as supports for writingtablets, other stationary articles or material; and it consists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts hereinafter specified with reference to the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed.

In the drawingsz-Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a portion of a chair partly in section and provided with a folding device such as is embodied in my invention, this folding device being illustrated in various positions by full and dotted lines; Fig. 2, a front elevation of an arm of the chair and a transverse section of the shank of the folding device, this shank being shown in two positions by full and dotted lines, and Fig. 3, a plan view of the chair-arm partly in horizontal section to illustrate a socket that constitutes part of a joint involved in the present invention. Fig. 4 represents a plan view of the said arm-chair and attached folding device, the latter being in full raised position ready for use.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A represents a standard of an opera chair, the arm portion B thereof terminating in a socket O for a ball D at the inner end of a shank E that is herein shown rigidly secured to the under side of a base F for the support of a writing tablet or other convenience for the occupant of the chair. Ordinarily the shank and ball are of cast-metal, the chair-frame being likewise, and the base attached to the shank is wood, but it would be no departure from my invention to cast said shank, ball and base in one piece from suitable metal.

In order to have access to the chair-arm socket the latter is made sectional and one of the sections detachably secured in place, as best illustrated in Fig. 3. The under portion of the socket is open and intercepted by a front slot 17 enlarged to form horizontal shoulders c at opposite sides of its center, the contour-of the enlarged upper portion of the slot being such as to permit of the ball shank E making a quarter-turn, as well as to provide ashoulder cl parallel to one of those aforesaid.

Normally the folding device is swung down out of the Way and stands fiat-wise in a vertical position, thebase-portion F thereof being toward the front, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. When required for use the pendent device is turned edgewise so that the shank-portion thereof may be lifted upward in the narrow portion of the front slot 1) in the socket portion of the joint connecting said device and the chair-arm, this position being also illustrated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. The device having been raised high enough to have the shank clear the shoulders c in the socket-slot, it is again turned to horizontal position to bring said shank to rest on said shoulders and under the shoulder at, this latter shoulder being a guard against upward tilt of said device. The horizontal position of the device when raised and ready for use is clearly illustrated by full lines in Figs. 1, and at, the base-portion of said device being flush with the chair-arm to which it is united by the ball-and-socket joint.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I provide very convenient attachments for chairs in auditoriu ms utilized for lectures and other events at which those in attendance desire to take notes, and it is to be understood that when said devices are swung down in the vertical flat-wise position shown by dotted lines Fig. 1, they are entirely out of the way of the occupants of the chairs.

While 1 have shown and described one application of my invention it is possible to vary its details without departure from a structure embodying a chair-arm provided with a socket, a supporting-base in ball-connection with the socket and suitable means for the maintenance of the supporting-base in horizontal flat-wise position.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of a chair-arm terminated at its outer end in a socket open below and provided with a front slot enlarged to form horizontal shoulders at opposite sides of its center and so shaped as to form another shoulder parallel to one of those aforesaid, a

supporting-base, a shank extending from the base, and a ball on the shank engaging said socket, whereby said base may be swung from a normally flat-wise vertical position to a fiat- Io wise horizontal position and automatically maintained in the latter position against accidental displacement.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, at Racine, in the county of Racine and State of Wisconsin, in r5 the presence of two witnesses.

' WILLIAM C. HOOD. WVitnesses:

R. B. LANG, E. W. FISHER. 

